Sigma Designs Releases Z-Wave Interoperability Layer Into the Public Domain

Great News for OpenZWave - Sigma have released a lot of the protocol Specs into the public domain. They have pretty much opened up the protocol now to allow anybody to write software that talks to Z-Wave Devices…. Obviously this is great news for OpenZWave as well, as we no longer have to reverse engineer the protocol to make new devices work!

Before Sigma announced this, I did have Sigma reach out to me for feedback on their plans, and they asked me for a quote for the press release as well. I think its great that they embraced us and sought out our advise. I’m looking forward to working more closely with them in the future. :)

(the actual press release is below)

FREMONT, CA–(Marketwired – August 31, 2016) – Sigma Designs® (NASDAQ: SIGM), a leading provider of intelligent system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for Connected Smart TV platforms and Internet of Things (IoT) Devices, today announced it is releasing the interoperability layer of the Z-Wave standard into the public domain. The Z-Wave Public Spec provides cloud service developers, gateway makers, technology enthusiasts, and others free and easy access to the Z-Wave interoperability layer, for development of smart home IoT applications. Sigma Designs is also making public APIs for two of its software products as well as the full specification of the new, world-class Z-Wave S2 security application framework.

Z-Wave has long been the dominant technology in the smart home space, with more than 50 million interoperable Z-Wave smart home devices worldwide. The Z-Wave interoperability layer has become the gold standard in smart home communication and is the basis of the successful Z-Wave ecosystem, where all products speak the same language and truly understand each other, allowing service providers and consumers to successfully mix and match any Z-Wave product from any Z-Wave partner.

In addition to opening the Z-Wave interoperability layer, Sigma Designs is also releasing:

The API specification for its Z/IP (Z-Wave over IP) and Z-Ware (Z-Wave middleware) software products. These two APIs are designed for use by gateways, making communication from cloud services to the Z-Wave gateways even more transparent. Sigma Designs is also making public two implementation samples codes for the usage of these two APIs.
The full specification of the new, world-class Z-Wave S2 security application framework. Z-Wave’s S2 security framework is the industry’s most robust and comprehensive approach to Smart Home security. This allows security experts to view the inner workings of Z-Wave S2 security to further validate or provide critical feedback for improvements.
“Over four years ago, the Z-Wave Mac/Phy was adopted by the ITU as the public G.9959 radio standard. This public release of the interoperability layer, our Z-Wave language, marks the next major step towards further democratizing Smart Home standards for the IoT,” said Raoul Wijgergangs, Vice President of the Z-Wave Business unit at Sigma Designs. “By publicly distributing our specifications, we’re creating a resource for any party that wants to work with the best and biggest smart home ecosystem. We expect to see even more community involvement and an acceleration of development of new and innovative smart home solutions that adopt Z-Wave, especially in the cloud and gateway space.”

Innovators will be able to develop plugins for connections through OCF, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and cloud-based services that can work directly with Z-Wave products and gateways. This will help tie the Smart Home into cloud initiatives and popular cloud services, which will extend the reach of Smart Home products and Z-Wave’s overall leadership position. Free and public access to the specifications for application layer interoperability will also allow the community of smart home IoT developers to explore Z-Wave without having to purchase a development kit or sign an NDA.

“Z-Wave’s smart home command classes and device types are the industry’s most comprehensive and well-developed, and I am excited that Z-Wave’s application layer interoperability specification will now be in the public domain,” said Justin Hammond, maintainer, OpenZWave. “I am sure with access to these specifications, the Open Source Z-Wave community will really thrive, and in particular, OpenZWave will now be able to offer a complete and robust Z-Wave implementation for Open Source applications.”

The Z-Wave Alliance will remain the steward and regulator of the Z-Wave brand, providing membership and ensuring a rigorous certification process for all products to be commercially offered in the market. The Z-Wave logo guarantees the quality of the Z-Wave products in terms of correct implementation of the Z-Wave commands.

For more information on how to access the Z-Wave Public Spec, click here.

About Z-Wave
Z-Wave technology is an open internationally recognized ITU standard (G.9959). It is the leading wireless home control technology in the market today, with over 1500 certified interoperable products worldwide. Represented by the Z-Wave Alliance, and supported by more than 375 companies around the world, the standard is a key enabler of smart living solutions for home safety and security, energy, hospitality, office and light commercial applications.

Z-Wave® is a registered trade mark of Sigma Designs and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

About Sigma Designs
Sigma Designs, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGM) is a world leader in enabling smart home convergence. The company designs and builds the essential semiconductor technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s leading Smart TV, connected media players, Internet of Things (IoT) for smart home devices and whole home media connectivity . For more information about Sigma Designs, please visit www.sigmadesigns.com.

Sigma Designs, Secure Media Processor, and the Sigma Designs logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sigma Designs, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are believed to be trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements about the anticipated features and benefits of Sigma’s products and solutions with respect to the Z-Wave brand and the Z-Wave Open Specification. Actual results may vary materially due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, consumer and customer acceptance of the features provided in the new Z-Wave Open Spec, Sigma’s ability to deploy and achieve market acceptance for Sigma’s other products in its target markets, including the IoT market, and the ability of Sigma’s Open Spec to compete with other similar in certain markets as well as other risks that are detailed from time to time in Sigma’s SEC reports, including its report on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward- looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Sigma undertakes no obligation to publically release or otherwise disclose the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made as a result of events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events